Peat drier



June 17 1924.

J. D. HOFFMAN `PEM' DRIER Filed March I5, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENToR ATTORNEY June 17 1924.- 1,498,5l4 l l A J. D. HOFFMAN l FEAT DRIER Filed March 5, .1922` 2"I Shees-Sheet 3 Patented .lune 17, 1924.

JOI-IN D. HOFFMAN', OF STRATFORD, ONTARIO, CANADA. I

FEAT DRIER.

Application filed March 3, 1922. Serial No. 540,786.

T 0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN D. HOFFMAN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Stratford, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented new and useful Improvements in Peat Driers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus and a process for drying peat, the general object of the invention being to cause the peat to pass through a stream of hot air, the peat moving in one direction and the air in an opposite direction.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for retarding the passage of peat through the air and to agitate and divide the same so that the air will thoroughly contact with the peat.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is an elevation of the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the means for supplying hot air to the peat. f

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

'Figure 4 is an enlarged view showing a portion of one side of one of the stacks.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a section on line 6 6 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view showing the means for rotating the agitators.

In these views 1 indicates a stack into the upper end of which the peat is delivered by the conveyor 2 which receives the peat from the Crusher 3. A stream of hot air is introduced into the lower part of the stack by means of the pipe 4 which may be connected with any suitable source of supply. Figure 2 shows this pipe as being connected with a blower 5 which has its inlet pipe 6 passing through a furnace 7 so that the air entering the blower will be heated.

It will of course be understood that any desired means may be provided for supply-1 ing hot air to the stack. Asubstantiall-y V-shaped deflector 8 is placed in the stack above the outlet of pipe' 4'so as to deiiect the same towards the sides of the stack. The peat dropping from the upper end of the conveyor will fall upon the agitators 9, which are arranged on the shafts 10, journaled in the stack. These shafts are arranged in parallel pairs, the shafts having gear wheels 11 on their projecting ends which mesh with each other. One of the lower shafts is provided with a pulley 12 which may be belted to any suitable source of power for rotating the shafts and the agitators thereon. The shafts of each pair rotate in opposite directions and each alternate pair rotate in a reverse direction from the adjacent pairs. The agitators consist of pronged members andthe agitators on the shaft of one pair are alternately arranged with those on the other shaft of the pair. These agitators will break up the peat into small particles and will agitate the same and at the same time retard its passage down the stack, thus giving the hot air a chance to come in contact with all portions of the peat and thus drying the same. If the passage down one stack is not suflicient to dry the peat a second stack 1 may be provided, as shown in Figure l, the peat being carried from the bottom of the first stack to the top of the second stacli by the conveyor 2. Of course any number of stacks may be provided to insure the drying of the eat.

From the above it will be seen that the slow passage of the peat down the stack, due to the action of gravity, will sub-ject the same to the action of the stream of air passing up the stack and thus cause the air to dry the peat.

In order to permit the agitators and their shafts to be inspected or repaired I form one side of the stack of a plurality of plates 13 which carry the bearings for the projecting portions of the shafts and which are bolted in place as shown at 14. By this means a few of the shafts and agitators can be removed without removing the entire number. i i

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of my invention will be readily apparent.

I desire it to be understood that 1 may make changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that sueh changes fall With in the scope of the appended claim.

`What I claim is l An apparatus for drying peat Comprising a plurality of stacks, a substantially V-shaped deflector transversing each stack adjacent the bottom thereof, means for forcibly introducing` heated air into eac-h stack belowT the deeetor, a plurality of plates arranged in edge to edge relation and forming one side Wall of each stack whereby access may be readily had to the interior thereof, plurality of shafts arranged in r parallel pairs and inding bearings in the side Walls ot each stack, gear Wheels secured to all of the shafts and meshing With each other in a manner so as to rotate each alternative pair in opposite direction and each of the other pairs in reverse direction, an agitator secured to each shaft and being adapted to break up the peat and at the same time retard its passage down the stack and means for conveying peat `from the bottom of, one staek to the top of the other.

In testimony whereof l afliX my signature. 

